Tampa Bay
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[[Image:Tampa florida map.jpg|thumb|right|Tampa Bay from a [[NASA]] satellite]]
{{otheruses4|the body of water|the demographic region|Tampa Bay Area}}
'''Tampa Bay''' is a large natural [[harbor]] and [[estuary]] along the [[Gulf of Mexico]] on the western coast of [[Florida]], comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay.
==Geography and Ecology==
[[Image:Tampabay i275 southview.jpg|thumb|left|A view of Tampa Bay from [[Interstate 275 (Florida)|I-275]], looking south. The industrial buildings are located near [[St. Petersburg, Florida]].]]
Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, extending over 1031 square km.<ref>The Bay averages only {{convert|11|ft|m}} deep, however ([http://www.tbep.org/estuary.html Tampa Bay Estuary Program website]). </ref> and forming coastlines of [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough]], [[Manatee County, Florida|Manatee]] and [[Pinellas County, Florida|Pinellas]] counties. The freshwater sources of the Bay are distributed among over a hundred small tributaries, rather than a single river.<ref>[http://www.gulfbase.org/bay/view.php?bid=tampa GulfBase: Tampa Bay and Keys]</ref>
Beginning the reversal of decades of unrestricted pollution, the bay was designated an estuary of national significance by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]], for its fringe of [[mangrove]] and its prolific mud flats: more than 200 species of fish are to be found in Tampa Bay and 25 species of birds make it their year-round home. The warm water outfalls of power plants bordering the bay draw one out of every six endangered [[manatee]]s to spend the winter. Equally significant though less immediately visible is the role of the Bay's waters as nurseries for [[shrimp]] and crabs, as well as less commercial invertebrates.
Two [[National Wildlife Refuge]]s are located in Tampa Bay: [[Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge]] and the refuge on [[Egmont Key]]. Most of the smaller islands in the Bay are off-limits to the public, due to their fragile ecology and their use as nesting sites for [[brown pelican]]s, [[heron]]s, [[egret]]s, [[Roseate spoonbill]]s, [[cormorant]]s and others. The '''Tampa Bay Estuary Program''' keeps watch over the Bay's health.<ref>[http://www.tbep.org/estuary.html Tampa Bay Estuary Program website].</ref>
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==Transportation==
Due in large part to the [[Port of Tampa]] and the dredging of more than eighty miles of deep-water shipping channels, seaborne commerce has historically been a large part of the [[Tampa Bay Area]]’s economy. The area boasts the largest port in [[Florida]] and the 10th largest in the nation – the [[Port of Tampa]]. The port accommodates half of Florida’s [[cargo]] in the form of bulk, break bulk, [[roll-on/roll-off]], refrigerated and container cargo. The port also has a large ship repair and building industry, and recently expanded cruise facilities.
The Port of Manatee, with more refrigerated dockside space than any other [[Gulf of Mexico]] port, is the closest of the three Tampa Bay deepwater ports to the [[Panama Canal]]. It is also one of the state's busiest, ranking fifth among Florida's fourteen seaports in total annual cargo tonnage.
The Port of St. Petersburg is home to a [[U.S. Coast Guard]] station. The smallest of Florida’s ports, it operates as a landlord port managed by the city of [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]].
===Bridges that cross Tampa Bay===
*[[Sunshine Skyway Bridge]]
*[[Gandy Bridge]]
*[[Howard Frankland Bridge]]
*[[Courtney Campbell Causeway]]
*[[Clearwater Bayside Bridge]]
==See also==
* [[Battle of Tampa]], an [[American Civil War]] [[naval battle]] in Tampa Bay.
*[[St. Petersburg Pier]], a tourist attraction that juts into the bay from downtown [[Saint Petersburg, Florida|St. Pete]]
*[[Bayshore Boulevard]], street near [[Downtown Tampa]] that runs along the bay, world's longest sidewalk
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.tampabay.wateratlas.usf.edu/research/ Tampa Bay Estuary Atlas]
*[http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/digitalproject/dpn/sajn_087.htm Hillsborough Bay (USACE)]
[[Category:Estuaries of Florida]]
[[Category:Gulf of Mexico]]
[[Category:Geography of the Tampa Bay Area| ]]
[[Category:Bays of Florida]]
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